Everyday Choices, Lasting Impact (Part of the T&L Series)

The PAIS Teaching and Learning Series 2026-27 is open for registration with an EARLY BIRD rate! Join today!
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COST:
$50 Non Series registrants

Free if your school is a registered for the series.  Please reach out to your school contact for the promo code.

Act 48 Credits are available for this program. 

Tuesday, September 29, 3:45-5pm
Everyday Choices, Lasting Impact: Cultivating Dignity, Compassion, and Inclusion in the Classroom
Presenter: Jason Craige Harris, Pollyanna
Audience: All educators

SESSION DETAILS & SPEAKER BIOS

September 29, 3:45-5pm
Everyday Choices, Lasting Impact: Cultivating Dignity, Compassion, and Inclusion in the Classroom
Inclusive school cultures are not built only through mission statements or special initiatives — they are built through hundreds of small, daily choices educators make in classrooms, hallways, meetings, and moments of tension. This interactive professional development session focuses on the day-to-day practices that shape whether students feel seen, valued, and safe to learn.

Together, we will explore:

• how dignity shows up (or gets missed) in everyday classroom interactions
• language choices that foster curiosity, belonging, and accountability
• curricular opportunities to deepen student awareness of the beauty of difference
• practical strategies for responding to conflict, difference, and harm in developmentally appropriate ways

Grounded in research and lived experience, this session centers educators as both instructional leaders and relational role models. Participants will leave with concrete tools they can immediately apply to curriculum design, classroom culture, and daily interactions with students and families.

By the end of this session, educators will be able to:

• Identify specific language moves and interaction patterns that promote dignity, compassion, and inclusion in daily classroom practice—and replace at least one habit that unintentionally undermines those goals.
• Analyze common classroom scenarios through a dignity lens, clarifying how their responses shape student belonging, accountability, and learning.
• Commit to at least one concrete instructional or relational practice (e.g., norms, feedback language, conflict response, curriculum framing) they will implement immediately to strengthen inclusive classroom culture.

Meet the Presenter: Jason Craige Harris
Jason Craige Harris is a thinker, writer, and speaker who uses the transformative power of storytelling to cultivate cultures of humility, curiosity, and empathy across sectors, contexts, and age groups. As a conflict mediator, executive coach, and organizational strategist, he integrates insights from diverse fields to help groups develop trust, achieve ambitious goals, and build structures that work. An expert on dignity-centered leadership, restorative practices, and dialogue across differences, Jason draws on the latest research in the study of human connection and human flourishing. Jason advises leaders and communities how to create environments where everyone can thrive—and what to do when challenges arise.